Round 5 of the 2023/2024 Zwift Grand Prix featured one of the longest team time trials (TTTs) in Zwift GP history, with 36.3km on Triple Flat Loops in Watopia. This was the final time that the 2023/2024 Zwift Grand Prix featured the same race as the Zwift Racing League – those of you reading this have your chance to take on the Triple Flat Loops TTT on Tuesday, December 19th.Â
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In the TTT, a team’s time is taken on the rear wheel of the 3rd rider across the line, and big points on offer for the win. Triple Flat Loops isn’t as pan-flat as it sounds, and teams would have to contend with the undulations while staying in TTT formation.Â
As the Zwift Grand Prix Series leaders, Coalition Alpha was the last team to start, and it wasn’t long before they got into the ideal TTT formation.Â
Zwift’s broadcast had live timings on the screen, plus the speed, leader, and gap between one team and another. It was fascinating to watch the gaps unfold in real time, and soon there were a few teams who were about to get caught. Wahoo Le Col had a strong start to the TTT, and they were right on the heels of two other teams near the halfway point of the race.Â
Aeonian held a narrow lead over Coalition Alpha with 18km to go, and Wahoo Le Col wasn’t far behind. A few kilometers later, Coalition Alpha moved into the lead…and a few kilometers later, Aeonian took the lead back. Then, Wahoo Le Col moved into the mix, less than a second off of the lead.Â
As the kilometers ticked down, the first few teams arrived at the finish, and it was ABUS – Synergy who took an early lead ahead of Beastmode p/b Rose and NeXT eSports pb Enshored. However, the fastest teams were still out on the road, and there were less than two seconds between Aeonian and Wahoo Le Col in the fight for the victory.Â
Wahoo Le Col was down to three riders in the closing kilometers, flying towards the finish with Z. Langham, E. Gallegos, and J. Patterson. The trio crossed the line shoulder to shoulder and set the new fastest time of 49:42.Â
Aeonian was next on course, and they were absolutely flying. With one final push, Aeonian crossed the line with a time of 49:36 to beat Wahoo Le Col by only six seconds.Â
Instead of dropping riders with a few kilometers to go, Coalition Alpha opted to keep all five riders together, and they came flying into the finish looking to challenge for the podium. With the series lead on the line, Coalition Alpha crossed the line with a time of 49:54, beating 4th place Virginia Blue Ridge TWENTY24 by nearly a minute.Â
When the dust finally settled, Aeonian solidified their name at the top of the leaderboard ahead of Wahoo Le Col in second, and Coalition Alpha in third. It looked like there was going to be a big shakeup in the Zwift Grand Prix Series standings as Hexagone finished down in 8th place, more than two minutes slower than Aeonian.Â
After two round wins in a row, Coalition Alpha lost a chunk of their lead to Aeonian in the Zwift Grand Prix Series standings. Hexagone maintained third overall, while Wahoo Le Col climbed one step closer to the podium by moving up to 4th. With only two rounds remaining, Coalition Alpha continues to lead the Zwift Grand Prix with a nine-point gap on Aeonian.Â
Coming Up Next
The 2023/2024 Zwift Grand Prix goes on holiday for a few weeks, returning on January 11th, 2024. Round 6 of the Zwift Grand Prix will see both the men’s and women’s pelotons taking on the longest race in Grand Prix history: 69.7km on the PRL Half in London, featuring four ascents of Box Hill.Â
This Epic Points Race features a time cutoff, just like Round 2 of the 2023/2024 Zwift Grand Prix on Alpe du Zwift. There are also four intermediate sprints and points on offer for every rider who finishes within the time cutoff.
